Highlands, Johnson, Central (later Moyer), and Woodfill. 1931
Woodfill and Moyer were built from the same plans, by Fort Thomas Architect C. C. Weber

 

“The Robert D. Johnson School occupies a commanding position in the heart of North Fort Thomas, around which has sprung up an extensive residential section.”	“The Ruth Moyer School, the newest of the elementary schools, sits in white majesty as a monument to her whose memory it perpetuates.”	“The Samuel Woodfill School is the hub of the southern portion of Fort Thomas, including in its radius the southern business district and the military reservation.”
From the 1936-37 Highlands yearbook

 

Highlands High School, January, 1954 
That's the old high school on the right (same building as below) . 
The current high school was built in 1937.
 Thanks to Mr. John Deering, former Highlands 
Principal and English teacher, for this image, and the one below
 

Highlands from the South, 1935	Aerial View of High School, and what was then the new  Middle School  circa 1964	Aerial View, 1948

 

Highlands Gym, 1935	Death Valley Baseball Field, 1959	1953	Fraternity House at Highlands, 1957

 

School Play, 1934	Library, 1934	Band, 1934	Gym, 1934

 

The architect's concept drawing and a construction image, both from the architectural firm of Weber, Werner, and Atkins. More on Fort Thomas' own C. C. Weber is at this site.

 

This one's from the 1937 Highlands' Yearbook and is simply captioned “Helping George”.
We include it here for a great view of the trolley in front of the school.

 

Highlands, from the 1926 Highlander. Note the Trolley Tracks. From a Facebook post by Berz Wagner.		from the 1937 Highlander	1937. Looking out the front door of the old High School toward the trolley tracks

 

	Class picture taken at the Trolley Stop at Highlands, 1935.. Key to names.

 

The 1937 Highlands year book says “The new cafeteria presents its homelike served within surroundings of comfortable roominess. Within its walls culinary aromas are blended with carefree conversation and laughter.”

 

Highlands High School 
This building was erected in 1915, and had 93 students that
 first year.  It served until 1962, which was the year it burned down.
The cornerstone was laid on July 25, 1914.

 

 

Highlands after the January 6, 1962 fire.

We read on Facebook that the original mascot for the school was the Highlands Blue Devil; that a local clergyman objected to the association of the community to the devil; that the boys' track team had an exceptionally good year that year; and it was remarked that they "flew like birds." This gave rise to the new name for the mascot, the Bluebirds.  Can anyone verify that, or is it just an old wives tale?

First Woodfill School	Samuel “Woodie” Woodfill (Wikipedia)

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 11, 1922		Moffat County (CO) Bell, October 20, 1922

“Johnston” Elementary School	Robert D. Johnson
Johnson Elementary is named after WWI hero Robert D. Johnson, who was killed at the Battle of Belleau (Wikipedia) on June 8, 1918.  His brother, Claude W. Johnson was the Chairman of the Board of Education at the time.

Miss Ruth Moyer (November 2, 1894 - June 19, 1931)
An obituary of her here (with picture) and here (without).

Additional background on the school and Miss Moyer.

Original Central School, the name was changed to Ruth Moyer in 1931.

Central School Opens

On N. Fort Thomas
A drawing by Caroline Williams

 

On N. Ft. Thomas Ave., across from Holly	Mount Vernon School On Highland, across from Newman, and the only school in Central  Fort Thomas until the late 1800's.	Woodfill Safety Patrol, 1929

The Catholic Telegraph, March 11, 1896

 

Former Highlands football coach is in the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame

 

Highlands' football field namesake, David Cecil, died in a football game. Story here.

"In the spring of 1891  big affair was held in Alexandria, some sort of Campbell County School affair, enormous bucket dinners and unlimited food, etc.  Debate contest was held in the courthouse, and the Highland team won. . . . I seem to recall that the subject was something about the Theatre being more harmful than good, and the Newport people said the Highland boys won because they came from religious families and believed what they argued for while the Newport boys hadn’t given any thought to the subject and their parents had not taught them that it was wrong to go to the theatre.”  From a letter from Harry W. McGinnis, July 10, 1957

Fort Thomas' excerpt from Mary Lee Caldwell's History of Education of Campbell County.

The first school in Fort Thomas dates back to c. 1832.  Called the Mt. Pleasant School, it was a log cabin near what is now the intersection of Holly Lane and N. Ft. Thomas Avenue.  Also known as the Old Buckeye School, it was used as a church on Sundays.  The Baptists and Methodists alternated Sundays.

Folk Dance	Recreation Hall	Playground	Recreation Park from a Facebook post by Barbara Sparks Rawe	School Room
St. Euphrasia's Training School, Highland Avenue, Fort Thomas, Kentucky